This invention relates broadly to an exercise assistance device and, more particularly, pertains to a barbell support platform equipped with movable barbell supporting members for facilitating the unracking of weight therefrom in a manner which will minimize the risk of injury to the exerciser and any spotter aiding the exerciser.
Body building, weight lifting and fitness experts are well aware of the many varied exercises which can be performed with a barbell. These include flat bench presses as well as decline and incline bench presses (with the exerciser lying on his back) and seated shoulder presses (with the exerciser seated upright). Typically, these exercises are carried out in conjunction with stationary support frames which include catches or shelves for retaining the barbell at an initial or racked position. As is well known, a pair of spaced apart, barbell uprights having catches or shelves at their upper ends enable an exerciser supported on a bench to unrack the barbell from the catches and move the barbell between raised and lowered positions.
In all of these exercises, the uprights and the catches are generally positioned behind the exerciser""s shoulders and on either side of the exerciser""s head so that the uprights and catches will not interfere with the raising and lowering of the barbell. As a result of the rearward location of the uprights, the exerciser must reach backwardly to grasp the barbell and remove it from the uprights.
Because the uprights are located rearwardly of the exerciser""s head, the exerciser""s arms are in an awkward position which reduces the exerciser""s strength and control over the barbell and places the exerciser""s shoulders in a position susceptible to injury. Although the chance of injury may be alleviated somewhat by a xe2x80x9cspotterxe2x80x9d aiding the exerciser, it has been found that further risk can be subjected upon the spotter extending his or her reach to place the barbell over the exerciser""s shoulder or chest area. In an effort to assist the exerciser (with or without a spotter) in unracking the barbell, there have been a variety of devices which seek to provide easier access to the racked barbell. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,009 issued Nov. 24, 1981 to Johnson. In this patent, a set of barbell supporting standards is pivotally mounted midway between the ends of the standards to hinge structure at the upper end of the support members attached to a bench. The standards tilt between a vertical storage position and a forwardly angled lift off position. A return means in the form of a counterweight is added to each standard to facilitate the return of the standard to its storage position once the barbell has been removed from the standards in the liftoff position.
Another retractable arm structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,876 issued Apr. 23, 1996 to Reyes. In this patent, a weight bar supporting structure includes a user supporting platform and two spaced apart posts. The first end of a weight bar supporting arm is connected to a lug depending from each post. A second end of each arm includes a weight bar supporting cradle and an upwardly extending guide. The arms are movable from a retracted position to a user lift off position. A spring is used to bias each arm when a weight is removed therefrom from the lift off position to the retracted position.
In both of these patents, the pivoting standards are not interconnected so that an exerciser attempting to lift a weight may find that one of the standards or posts could easily drop out of the way leaving the exerciser with a half racked barbell which could be extremely dangerous. Also, it is noted that these and other prior art designs require the addition of a separate return device such as a counterweight, spring or gas cylinder to return the weight supporting standards or posts to their storage position. Additionally, the design of such standards or posts require that they be pivoted over a larger range of movement than desired. Further, the design of such standards or posts necessitates that the catches or shelves for holding the barbell must be inclined at an unreasonably steep angle which might effect the reracking of the barbell following completion of the exercise.
Notwithstanding the prior art, there remains a need for an improved pivoting weight rack which overcomes the problems discussed above, and provides an exercise assistance device which aids an exerciser in unracking a barbell prefatory to a chest or shoulder press.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a pivoting weight rack which will assist an exerciser by moving the weight from a storage position to a lift off position before an exercise movement.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a pivoting weight rack employing a pair of weight supporting pivoting uprights which will automatically return to the storage position following removal of the weight in the lift off position.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a pivoting weight rack wherein a pair of weight supporting pivoting uprights will move together at all times between the storage and lift off positions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pivoting weight rack having a pair of weight supporting pivoting uprights which are particularly balanced such that no independent return device is needed to return the uprights to their storage position.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a pivoting weight rack constructed and arranged such that a pair of weight supporting pivoting uprights will pivot through a relatively short range of movement between the storage and lift off positions.
In one aspect of the invention, an exercise assistance device is provided in which an exerciser is positioned upon a support platform resting upon a support surface and is adapted to hold a weight bar with both hands such that both arms repeatedly move between a lowered position in which the bar is located generally above the top of the exerciser s upper torso and a raised position elevated above the exerciser in which the arms are extended. The apparatus includes a support arrangement and first and second uprights disposed on both sides of the support platform. Each upright is pivotally mounted at a lowermost end thereof to the support arrangement at a point beneath the support platform adjacent to the support surface between a rearwardly angled storage position and a nearly vertical lift off position. The uprights include retaining structure on an upper portion thereof for maintaining the weight bar in a substantially horizontal position. When the weights are moved from the storage position to the lift off position and the weight bar is removed from the retaining structure, the uprights will automatically return to the storage position to permit the exerciser to move the weight bar between the raised and lowered positions without interference of the uprights and retaining structure mounted thereon. The uprights are interconnected by a tie bar for assuring the simultaneous movement of the uprights between the storage and lift off positions. Stop structure is provided for limiting the travel of the pivoting uprights. The retaining structure is comprised of a pair of catch plates, each being attached to an outer edge of a respective one of the uprights. Each catch plate is integrally formed with at least one curved catch finger forming a rounded pocket for retaining the weight bar thereon. The uprights are preferably formed with linear tubes.
In another aspect of the invention, a pivoting weight rack is used in conjunction with a support platform disposed upon a support surface for holding and variably positioning a weight bar relative to an exerciser supported on the platform. The rack includes a support arrangement and a pair of weight bar supporting uprights spaced apart on opposite sides of the support platform. Each upright is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis at a lowermost end thereof to the support structure at a point beneath the support platform and adjacent the support surface between a storage position and a lift off position. The storage position is oriented upwardly and rearwardly relative to a vertical axis disposed perpendicularly to the support surface and passes through the pivot axis, and the lift off position is oriented nearly parallel to the vertical axis. A tie bar interconnects the uprights so that the uprights will move together simultaneously between the storage and lift off positions. The tie bar is provided with a forwardly projecting stop post engagable with the support platform to define a forwardmost lift off position and prevent the uprights from attaining a complete vertical attitude relative to the support structure. The support arrangement includes a pair of fixed support members oriented upwardly and rearwardly relative to the support surface, the support members being generally parallel to the uprights when the uprights are in their storage position. Each of the support members is provided with a forwardly projecting stop post engagable with a rear surface of a respective one of the uprights.
A further aspect of the invention contemplates a pivoting weight rack for use with a user supported platform resting on a support surface, a support structure and a pair of weight bar supporting members pivotally mounted relative to the support between a retracted, storage position and an extended, lift off position, each of the weight supporting members having at least one catch for retaining the weight bar therefrom. The invention contemplates an improvement wherein the weight supporting members are pivotally mounted to the support structure at a lowermost end thereof at a point spaced beneath the support platform adjacent to the support surface and are interconnected together by a tie bar to prevent independent return of one of the weight bar supporting members in the event a portion of the weight bar is removed from one of the catches.
A still fir aspect of the invention contemplates a pivoting weight rack for use with a user supported platform resting on a support surface, support structure and a pair of weight supporting members pivotally mounted relative to the support structure to assist the user in unracking the weight from the weight supporting members without interference therefrom. The invention is improved wherein the weight supporting members are pivotally mounted to the support structure at a lowermost end thereof adjacent to a support surface between a rearwardly angled storage position and a nearly vertical lift off position, the weight supporting members being constructed and arranged such that when a weight is removed from the weight supporting members in the lift off position, the weight supporting members will automatically return to the storage position without the need for an independent return structure being associated with the weight supporting members.
Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.